si-mexico Chapter 323 Yuan Chu's Rebellion Plan
Chapter 323 Yuan Chu's Rebellion Plan
Emperor Kun shouted hurriedly,
"Alright, alright, Yuan Chu, I know you're loyal. I promise you, I allow you to go!"
Yuan Chu finally stopped making trouble, relaxed, and said with tears in his eyes,
"Your Majesty, I have retired. If I cannot return and something unexpected happens to me, I hope Your Majesty will take care of your health and not grieve for me.
After my death, the Chief Censor may take up the post of Prime Minister. Over the years, he has been diligent and conscientious, and has both talent and virtue.
I will take my leave now!"
"I understand. Come, give me the gold medal and respectfully escort the Prime Minister out of the city!"
"Prime Minister, tell Shen Changgong that if he dares to kill you or the Queen, I will lead an army of 300,000 men to a bloody battle, even if it costs me my life. Even if I lose, I will make him pay the price!"
"I thank you, Your Majesty, but please do not start a war. Enough Kun people have died."
Yuan Chu took out the gold medal and was carried out by the guards.
Emperor Kun looked at the civil and military officials in the court and said,
"My dear ministers, the Prime Minister has already given away all his wealth. Isn't it time for you to set an example?"
Unfortunately, people are selfish. Although they can see that the prime minister's move is to save the country, he wants to set an example and attract them to take the money voluntarily.
But they just can't bear to do so.
So, there was another round of crying poor.
Emperor Kun impatiently asked them to go home.
Those officials rolled up their sleeves and prepared to settle accounts with the prime minister, but at this time the prime minister, under the protection of the palace guards, quickly returned to the prime minister's residence in a carriage.
After he returned home, he immediately asked his family to load all their money and belongings into the car and leave behind anything that was inconvenient to carry.
Emperor Kun probably won't raid his house again, and the Yan army won't raid his house either, so there's no harm in staying.
Then he had his servants tie up himself and his family, and put them in a carriage, heading towards the south of the city at a very fast speed.
On the way, he saw that some soldiers had already started heading towards the homes of officials in the inner city and the imperial city.
If nothing unexpected happens, Emperor Kun will help the Yan army to clear out the old officials of Kun State, and at the same time confiscate their homes and destroy their families to collect their money.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly!
With the gold medal and the guards as witnesses, they successfully left the city and ran to the outside of the Yan army camp.
Then Yuan Chu asked the guards to go back.
They pulled their carriages and came to the Yan army.
At the door of the general's tent, Shen Changgong had been waiting for a long time.
Yuan Chu jumped off the carriage, tied his hands behind his back, came to Shen Changgong, knelt down and said,
"Your humble servant, Yuan Chu, pays homage to Prince Lanling!"
Shen Changgong pulled him up with a smile and said,
"Thank you, Prime Minister Yuan. I'm glad you're here. As long as you're safe, I won't feel bad even if all the people in Shengjing die."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
Shen Changgong said to the guards,
"Set aside an area for Prime Minister Yuan's family to live in. Take good care of their daily lives. Don't touch the gold and silver. Give it all to them."
"As ordered!"
"Prime Minister Yuan, please. I'm sorry to bother you to stay in the military camp for a while."
"Your Highness is too polite. If it weren't for your protection, the heads of my entire family would have been chopped off by Emperor Kun."
"It's cold outside, come to the general's tent and have a cup of hot tea."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Your Highness."
Since Yuan Chu had already made up his mind to defect to the State of Yan, he naturally kept a low profile.
After entering the commander's tent, Yuan Chu saw the empress sitting in the first seat with a dignified demeanor.
Seeing the Queen sitting in the commander's tent of the Yan army, Yuan Chu was stunned.
The Empress was also stunned when she saw Yuan Chu being invited in by Shen Changgong.
"I didn't expect you..."
The two people spoke in unison.
No one said the second half of the sentence.
Neither of them expected that the other party was actually a member of the Yan army.
Shen Changgong smiled and said,
"From now on, we are all family. Prime Minister Yuan, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, the King of the South, pays homage to Him."
Yuan Chu did not rush to sit down, but saluted King Nan.
"Please sit down. We are all acquaintances. No need to greet us."
King Nan said indifferently.
Yuan Chu sat in a chair near the front, facing the Queen.
This is not because of his high status, but because he can communicate with the two princes more conveniently.
There were actually not many people in the entire tent.
There are two women sitting behind the two princes. I don’t know what they do. They should be maids, but why are maids allowed to sit there?
Then came the Southern Prince, Lanling Prince, and the Queen Mother. He also saw Yu Huatian and Nie Bei, but he didn't recognize the other three.
King Nan said there was no need to greet them, so he didn't say hello to Yuhuatian Nie Bei.
Shen Changgong asked directly,
"Prime Minister Yuan, what's so urgent that you're being asked to take your entire family and flee the city without even having the chance to tell us in advance?"
Yuan Chu sighed and said,
"Fortunately, I reacted quickly. If I had been a step slower, I would have lost my head. Emperor Kun has gone crazy and attacked the powerful and wealthy."
"Oh? That's a good thing."
Shen Changgong smiled.
This saves them the trouble of taking action.
Next, Yuan Chu told the whole story in detail.
After listening to this, Shen Changgong frowned slightly and said,
"It's indeed a bit troublesome. Emperor Kun has controlled the families of those generals, which is equivalent to controlling the army. Now all these troops are at their disposal."
Yuan Chu nodded and said,
"Yes, let me tell you something Your Highness may not like to hear, but I originally wanted to serve my last shift in Kun State and then join the Yan State with a clean slate.
But since the emperor has done this, I, an old minister, have no choice but to protect myself.
I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Shen Changgong smiled and said,
"Alas, what are you talking about, Prime Minister Yuan? I am so happy to see you turn from evil to good, how could I blame you?
If Prime Minister Yuan is concerned about his reputation, that's fine. I can tell everyone that we've detained you."
However, Yuan Chu, who always cherished his reputation, said,
"No, Your Majesty, I have a plan. I am willing to sacrifice my reputation to persuade those 300,000 Kun soldiers to revolt."
"Oh? Prime Minister Yuan has a solution? Please tell me quickly."
Yuan Chu said,
“Your Majesty, Emperor Kun has now lost the support of the people and the army.
His act of robbing ordinary people caused the people of Shengjing to criticize him badly.
This has lost the support of the people.
His behavior of winning over generals and plundering other officials also made him completely offend middle-level officers such as the captains and centurions in the army.
You know, it's not just the generals who come from powerful families. There are also some less powerful people, and some civilian officers who have been promoted based on their military merits. Their homes are all in Shengjing City and are all within the range of looting.
Even some ordinary soldiers, whose homes were in Shengjing, were subject to looting.
He also embezzled military funds and took all of them as compensation.
This move offended all the soldiers.
Soldiers are paid for their work. Who would fight for them without pay?
In addition, his previous behavior of only daring to pay money and not fighting has long made him lose all the morale of the army! "